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A1 · BeginnerLesson 4 of 4

A Few / A Little / Few / Little

Learn when to use a few, a little, few, and little with countable and uncountable nouns in this A1 English grammar lesson with clear examples.

By the flumi team About 5 min read 11 vocabulary wordsGrammar learning path: Countable nouns and basic quantity
Practice exercises11 words to study

Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

Countable Nouns

You can count these (1, 2, 3…).

  • apples
  • books
  • friends
  • chairs

Uncountable Nouns

You cannot count these directly.

We do not normally count these nouns directly. Instead, we use a container to show how much: a glass of water, a cup of milk, a bag of sugar. In a café or restaurant, “two waters” can mean two glasses or bottles of water.

  • water
  • milk
  • sugar
  • time

This is important because we use different words — “a few” or “few” for countable nouns, and “a little” or “little” for uncountable nouns. You will learn these words in the next sections.

“A Few” and “A Little”

Both expressions mean some: the number or amount is small, but it is usually enough.

A few — countable nouns

We use a few with plural countable nouns.

Structure: a few + plural noun

  • “I have a few friends.”
  • “She bought a few apples.”
  • “We have a few chairs.”

A little — uncountable nouns

We use a little with uncountable nouns.

Structure: a little + uncountable noun

  • “I have a little money.”
  • “She drinks a little milk.”
  • “We need a little sugar.”

“Few” and “Little”

These words do not have a. They mean the number or amount is very small, and the speaker feels it is not enough.

Compare these two sentences from the same speaker: “I have a few friends.” means the speaker feels positive about having some friends. “I have few friends.” means the speaker feels this is not enough.

Bare few and little can sound more formal or more negative. In everyday speech, people often prefer not many or not much, which sound more neutral. Bare few and little show that the speaker feels the amount is not enough.

At A1, use a few, a little, not many, and not much when you speak or write. You only need to recognise bare few and little.

Few — countable nouns (negative)

We use few with plural countable nouns.

Structure: few + plural noun

  • “I have few friends in this city.”
  • “There are few chairs left in the room.”
  • “Few students came to class today.”

Little — uncountable nouns (negative)

We use little with uncountable nouns.

Structure: little + uncountable noun

  • “We have little time before class.”
  • “There is little milk left.”
  • “She has little money for food.”

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Positive and Negative Meaning

The word a changes the meaning. Look at the difference:

Form Noun type Meaning Example
a few countable some “I have a few friends.”
few countable almost no; not many “I have few friends.”
a little uncountable some “I have a little money.”
little uncountable almost no; not much “I have little money.”

Only a few / only a little

Only a few and only a little use the positive forms, but they mean the number or amount is small and may not be enough.

  • “Only a few students came to class today.”
  • “There is only a little milk left.”

You may also hear very few and very little: “Very few students came today.” / “There is very little milk left.”

Common alternatives

In everyday English, not many and not much are neutral alternatives to bare few and little:

  • “I do not have many friends here.”
  • “We do not have much time.”

A little can also come before an adjective: “I am a little tired.”

Use a few with countable plural nouns and a little with uncountable nouns:

  • a few money → a little money
  • a little friends → a few friends

Using “a few” and “a little” in Everyday Sentences

We often use a few and a little when asking for or talking about small quantities.

“What do we have for breakfast?”
→ “We have a few eggs and a little milk.”

“Do you have a few minutes?”
→ “Yes, I do.”

“Do we have enough chairs?”
→ “No, we don't have many chairs.”

“Can we finish before class?”
→ “No, we don't have much time.”

Questions such as “Do you have few friends?” and “Do you have little time?” sound unusual because few and little already have a negative meaning. In most everyday questions, use how many, how much, many, or much instead. A few and a little are perfectly normal in questions:

  • “Do you have many friends?”
  • “Do you have much time?”
  • “How much time do you have?”

Quick Recap

  • a few — countable, positive (some) — “I have a few apples.”
  • few — countable, negative (not many / not enough) — “I have few apples.”
  • a little — uncountable, positive (some) — “I have a little milk.”
  • little — uncountable, negative (not much / not enough) — “I have little milk.”

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Few and Little

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Last updated October 14, 2026